November 22, 2013

Miles Austin said it "doesn't feel too long" since his last catch, but he's happy to be back

Miles Austin hasn't had a catch since Week 3. He hasn't played since Week 7.

The Cowboys receiver returns this week, fully healed from a hamstring injury.

"Just excited to be playing again," Austin said Friday. "I’m obviously from Jersey so family will be there, so yeah, just fired up. It’s the next game for us. The next game is always the biggest game. Just happy to be back with the guys."

Austin had 15 catches for 125 yards in the first three games, including 10 catches for 72 yards in the season-opening victory over the Giants. His last catch came in a victory over the Rams on Sept. 22 when he tweaked his hamstring.

"I catch passes in practice and catch balls all the time," Austin said of it being two months since his last catch. "It’s not much different. But no, it doesn’t feel too long."

Austin sat out two games before returning to play against the Redskins and Eagles. He had no catches on seven targets in those two games, 72 offensive plays, before the Cowboys decided to shut him down until he was fully healed.

"It's tough, because you want to be able to run all your routes at full speed and be effective, and I really wasn’t feeling great," Austin said. "But at the same time, whenever you’re out there, you’re out there."